Residential trips, sports, clubs and youth activities

Information and advice for a parent or carer of a child living with allergy

Parent of a 5 to 11 year old

Around these ages your child might start showing an interest in sports or decide to join a club like Rainbows or Scouts, or a class for dance or swimming.

  • Make sure staff at the clubs know about their condition. You could consider meeting with them and drawing up a mini allergy management plan if your child will be spending a substantial amount of time at the club. Involve your child in any conversion around their allergies.
  • Encourage your child to pack their own bag, remind them to pack or consider the following:
    • If your child has a food allergy, consider if taking their own snacks/lunch may be safer, if serving food is usually part of their session. Often kitchens in clubs are used by various other clubs and sometimes for private hire, so the risk of cross-contamination may be higher.
    • Ask them if they have enough medication packed.
    • If your child has a skin condition, sports and activities outside or in water, might trigger a flare. Ask them if they’ve packed their emollients and remind them to apply them regularly, especially after washing or getting wet.
    • If your child has asthma, sports or activities outside may aggravate their breathing and cause symptoms. Check your child always has their blue inhaler with them and knows how and when to use their inhaler.
    • If your child has hay fever, make sure they take their medication daily to prevent symptoms worsening, ask them if they have packed wraparound glasses and a cap with a peak, to keep the pollen away from the face. If hay fever symptoms stop your child carrying out any activity outdoors, seek advice from a healthcare professional.

Residential trips

Your child might be invited to go on a residential trip with their school or a club. This is a trip where they’ll sleep over for one or more nights. This may be the longest amount of time they stay away from home alone at this age, so preparing them for a trip like this is an important step in building their confidence and independence.

  • Ask for an itinerary of the trip, go through this with your child and discuss with them if there are any activities that might trigger their allergies.
  • Arrange a meeting with the teacher/club leader to review their allergy management plan and discuss how the accommodation will manage their needs e.g. mealtimes, administering medication, avoiding triggers etc. Include your child in these conversations.
  • If your child feels uneasy about going on the trip, try not to pressure them. Reassure them that it’s okay to say no and not go. But maybe suggest they spend the night away from home, at a friend’s house or another family members home, to see how they feel being away from home, before making their decision.

 

Sanofi UK has provided a financial contribution to the production of this digital destination but has had no editorial input into the design, content or other outputs.

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